Soft Launch Pushed to 2019, Russian Distributor Found & Engine Licensed to Another Company

The Crowfall Founders' Update for mid-2018 has been published. In it, backers and fans learn that the soft launch has been pushed back to 2019; that a Russian distributor has been found similar to that for EU with Travian; and that the game's MMO engine (as opposed to a rendering engine) has been licensed to another company "to give them a jump-start on their next big title".

While the progress of Crowfall has been significant this year with both pre-alpha 5.5 and 5.6 headed out the door and 5.7 on its way, there are still "system [that] aren't quite where they need to be and we continue to slow down development to go back and fix things we don't like". As a result, "our soft launch is not going to happen by the end of the year". Art Craft is committed to making a great game and "[a]dding to our schedule is never something we do lightly".

The licensing of the game's MMO engine includes "ALL of the backend tech that makes an MMO work: accounts, persistence, characters, items, inventory & equipment, monsters, AI, powers, races, classes, zones… all of the hundreds (thousands?) of interlocking systems that make a virtual world tick." As a result of the licensing agreement, Art Craft has taken in more resources and will be hiring more engineers.

Lastly, the licensing deal for distribution of Crowfall in Russia is complete, though the company was not named. Russian backers and customers will find "improved communication, service and support".